Downsizing, any rightmove enthusiasts?

[Solasum]

My parents are in a very characterful house that is now too big for them with too much garden and too many stairs. They are tentatively considering moving to something more futureproof, but don't want to live somewhere with no character.

Any suggestions? Of places, or specific properties?

Must have parking for 2 cars on or off road and a manageable garden, 3 beds ideal, a decent sized kitchen, ideally somewhere with farmers market and Waitrose within a short drive, easy journey to London (ideally into Victoria, Waterloo or Paddington). In terms of other living space, ideally adaptable for someone very elderly in the future, so either downstairs bathroom/bedroom or possibility of stair lift. Not too surrounded by other people as they like their privacy. And hospital within reasonable distance.

Any one?

If you ask this to be moved to the Property section you'll get some help over there.

(With a 'please' )

Done, thank you for the tip.

Please give us ideas, kind and ubiquitous Mumsnetters! and thank you in advance

Budget?

You need to give us a budget but I would say Lewes. Has everything on your list and within walking distance with good bus services- driving can be a pain as you get older.
Direct rail to London & Brighton.
Lots of character property, more modern properties have OSP etc.

Chichester?

Max price?

I guess circa £800k?

Hadn't thought of either Lewes or Chichester, thank you!

This bungalow in Ashtead, Surrey. Longest life expectancy in U.K., excellent healthcare at Epsom hospital 2 miles away. Trains from Ashtead to Waterloo in 40 minutes.

I'm moving to Surrey when I get older (in about 15 years, purely for the healthcare and life expectancy)

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60061972.html

Beckenham? Farmers markets galore nearby. Waitrose in town. 20mins to London Victoria. 25 to London Bridge.

This for example is near a good pub and Kelsey park which is beautiful.

My in laws live nearby and it's a nice area.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-48599868.html

Have PMed you a couple of ideas.

Second PP on Lewes. Lovely little town.

Have you looked at Horsham too? They have a great market, lots of shops, new John Lewis and Waitrose.

Something like this near town and station?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60628201.html

The Horsham house is lovely.

Thank you all, places I was unaware of. We haven't really looked at anywhere yet, this idea has only just risen to the surface. Not sure my mum could cope with a bungalow, as she is still very young in mind and body, if not in years!

Bit obvious but how about Godalming www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66619175.html or Wood Street (near Guildford) www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66936491.html

A bungalow would be a sensible idea. Can you try and persuade them? It might save them installing a stair lift in the future.

Ground floor apartment in a mansion house?

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38562429?utm_source=trovit&utm_medium=network&utm_campaign=aggregator

I could be wrong, but I'm not sure Horsham is great for hospitals. My friend lives in a nearby village and I remember she had to drive to Chichester hospital when her kids got sick in the middle of the night.

There is an A&E in Haywards Heath which is much closer than Chichester. About 25 mins from Horsham.

Just a word re bungalows. Unless your folks are already having mobility problems, it might not be the best idea. My folks downsized in about their mid 60s to a bungalow - not because they particularly anted a bungalow, but because it was all they could find in the area they'd chosen.

However, after about 3 years they decided they didn't like the area after ll, and moved again, to a house. And they had realised just how much the lack of daily up-and-down-stairs had affected their general fitness/mobility.

I know she was lucky but my mother was still well able to manage her stairs when she finally moved to a care home at 89 (because of dementia).

Something like this might suit. Character outside but all modern and clean lines inside, so easy to maintain and with a manageable garden. The floorplan looks suitable and fairly future proof too.

It would tick a fair few boxes, away from the hussle of town, but yet not far for shopping, restaurants and events. Near to mainline stations, hospital with A&E around 6-7 miles away, Waitrose, Farmers' Markets and plenty of nice villages within a very reasonable drive and money in the pot to make any changes they want to make.

LINK

The only downside is that making that change, they may find it really hard to give up the space and let go of a lot of their possessions.

Areas I'd consider because I know them would include Petersfield, Midhurst, Chichester, or nearer to Kent such as villgesnin and around tunbridge wells, Hastings, Sevenoaks

St Ives, Cambs meets the criteria although trains go into Kings Cross.

There's a guided bus into Cambridge, and trains to London from there, or from Peterborough. Hospital at Huntingdon.

I used to live near there, and Sat morning we went into St Ives, went to the library, then to Waitrose.

Guildford is tricky because the town centre is on a big hill, so not ideal for older people, though it ticks all the other boxes about amenities (including the hospital). I would also suggest against needing to drive everywhere, as there will come a point when that might not be feasible, so the lovely Surrey villages are probably out of the equation too

Are places like this (big enough to move into the downstairs in due course if necessary, straight stairs for a stair lift) too big to consider?

Olennaswimple a 70ft garden is probably a bit much, we were thinking a couple of fruit trees, few pots and somewhere to sit in the sun with a cup of tea!

Re driving, I suppose honestly my dad really won't be driving in a couple of years.

Plenty of food for thought here, thanks all